Oakheart's Promise - A Warriors AU

Chapter 4

Oakkit yawned, glancing around the nursery and realizing nobody was there. Rainflower and Crookedkit, who were now gone, slept in the same nest while Oakkit had the corner of the den to himself. Even from the sheltered area where he was laying, he could see Echomist with her kits in the clearing. Reeds tumbled through the camp, and the scent of the river drifted through the air. Stretching, the reddish-brown kit stood to his paws. He left the nursery and overheard Hailstar discussing with Shellheart.

"I think we should wait until Oakkit and Crookedkit are old enough," Hailstar suggested.

Are we missing out on something? Oakkit wondered as he began crossing the camp to the fresh-kill pile.

Before he could get far, he heard Shellheart's response. "So, Echomist's kits will be apprenticed with Crookedkit and Oakkit." The leader nodded, and they both wandered away, finding their way through the crowded camp.

Dawn light warmed the clearing as Oakkit dashed over to Echomist. He gazed up at the queen, asking, "Where are the other kits?"

"They're playing under the rock," Echomist answered, lifting a paw and gesturing towards the stone where Hailstar stood to call meetings.

"We're not playing!" Beetlekit shouted to his mother as Volekit lunged towards him. "We're training!" He turned and kicked with his hind paws, flinging his brother away. Petalkit was crouched beside them, observing their battle and waiting to join in.

A smirk grew across Oakkit's face as he proudly marched over to Beetlekit's side. "Guess what I just heard!" He yelled, loud enough for all three kits to hear.

"What, fish-brain?" Beetlekit sneered. He waved his tail, signaling for Petalkit and Volekit to stand beside him.

Oakkit explained, "Hailstar was talking to Shellheart. They're going to hold back your apprentice ceremony so we can all be apprenticed together!"

"You made that up!" Volekit insisted, nudging his brother aside. "We're going to be apprenticed first! Echomist told us so!"

"Actually," Echomist, who had been listening, joined in, "I heard the same thing from Shellheart just now."

Puffing out his chest, Oakkit exclaimed, "I told you so!" Beetlekit only shot him a furious glance and returned to playing with his siblings. The reddish kit walked away, picking up his brother's scent in the clearing and following it to where he was near the edge of camp.

Crookedkit greeted, "Hello!"

Peering at a log near the river, Oakkit suggested, "We should practice balance on that log."

Nodding, Crookedkit agreed, "Sure! We need to be able to balance if we want to be warriors one day!" Standing, he led the way to the log, leaping and digging his claws into it. He hauled himself on, clinging to the old bark.

"Wait for me!" Oakkit called playfully, charging after his brother. He scrambled onto the trunk, holding onto the wood and pulling himself to Crookedkit's side. The bare branches ahead of the kits hung over the river, which flowed around the RiverClan camp. It kept them safe from their enemies, as warriors from other Clans couldn't swim.

As Oakkit clawed his way along the trunk of the log, he heard a thud from behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Crookedkit lying flat on the ground under the log. Before Oakkit could ask if the light brown kit was alright, a gray blur streamed past and lifted Crookedkit off of the ground.

"Hey!" Crookedkit exclaimed as he dangled from his mother's jaws. "I'm alright! You can let me go!"

Slowly lowering her head, Rainflower gently placed Crookedkit on the ground, nudging him with her muzzle until he was able to balance. Then, she lifted her head and glared sharply at Oakkit. She snarled, "What were you thinking, pushing your brother off of the log like that?"

"But I didn't push him!" Oakkit pleaded, "I promise I didn't!"

But Rainflower didn't listen. "Don't you know your brother could have been hurt again? Why is it that I have one kit who can't stop hurting himself, and another who actively encourages it?"

With that, Oakkit stumbled off of the log. He scampered away, approaching the nursery and scooting behind it. He placed his paws over his head and flattened his ears as if trying to seal himself away from the rest of the world. What did I do wrong? The sounds of the camp died away, leaving him alone with only the breeze that rustled the reeds surrounding him.

"Oakkit?" A quiet voice whispered from beside the young kit. He slowly pulled his paws away from his head, opening one eye and blinking as he realized Crookedkit was standing over him. "Oakkit, are you okay?" His brother asked.

"Yes..." Oakkit's voice trailed off as Crookedkit sat down next to him. His brother clearly knew he was lying, as the brown tabby curled his tail around him.

"I won't let Rainflower hurt you," Crookedkit promised. "She was being mean. Let me talk to her, and she may treat you better."

Oakkit was slowly able to smile at his brother. "That sounds good." He lifted a paw and placed it on Crookedkit's shoulder. Then, together, they left the corner of the camp and returned to the clearing, ready to face Rainflower and whatever she had to say to them.